Antibiotics: Understanding the Pros and Cons

Health is always going to be one of the most important parts of life. It’s a massive talking point and certainly one that more and more are thinking about each and every day. If you aren’t healthy, you are in trouble but for thousands of people, they aren’t sure what to think about antibiotics and whether they are good for them. Of course, no one wants to use something that harms their health but what are the pros and cons of antibiotics?

Pro – They Help Fight Bacteria Infections

First and foremost, antibiotics do help to fight against bacterial infections. They are prescribed by many doctors to help treat these problems which can stem from things such as run of the mill infections to help fighting acne. You might not think so but actually in many cases, patients are prescribed antibiotics to help fight acne. Remember, acne is really a bad infection but with the antibiotics it can help to offer treatment to these.

Pro – Can Help Deal With Some Serious Illnesses

In many circumstances, antibiotics are used to help fight some illnesses. They can be used for minor and major illnesses and in fact they can be used for a variety of illnesses and ailments alike. Sometimes, the problems can be minor which can be cleared within a few weeks with antibiotics, however, the problems can also be a little more serious and at times, depending on the illness, antibiotics could be used to help get your health back to where it should be.

Pro – Helps Clear Infections

A variety of minor infections can actually be treated with antibiotics. It can all of course, depend on the type of infection that you may have but in many cases, these infections can be cleared up with a course of antibiotics. Though, if the infections are really serious then you may have to get a stronger medical supply of antibiotics in order for the infection to be fought against.

Con – Antibiotics Can Be Over Used At Times

A big problem however with antibiotics is that they are at times, over used. Doctors can believe the simplest thing such as a cold can be fought with antibiotics, however in many cases, antibiotics are not needed. You don’t want to mask the problem but rather fight it at the root caused and in many places throughout the world, antibiotics are prescribed unnecessarily at times, not always but on occasions they can be. This is of course not good for your health.

Con – Cannot Fight Viruses

A lot of people do not realize that antibiotics cannot actually fight viruses but rather bacteria. Now, in many cases, you can be prescribed antibiotics when you have a cold or flu but that isn’t an infection but rather a virus so in a sense you can mask things. This can be a bit of a problem in some cases because you can think antibiotics help in every sense but against viruses, they can’t. Treatment with antibiotics is really for infections not viruses.

Con – People Can Build Resistance to Antibiotics

For those who have taken antibiotics over an extended period, they may find that they build resistance to them. This essentially means that the antibiotics aren’t going to be as effective as what you would want them to be. However, many do in fact build up a resistance because of the fact they are given antibiotics and continue to use them for over the course of several months, maybe even over a year. Treatment like this may actually build resistance to antibiotics.

The Real Point to Make

To be honest, you can understand the pros and cons of antibiotics but in the end, it’s all about safety and keeping healthy. There will be times when you really aren’t too sure about using antibiotics but they may be a good solution for you. Then again, there could be times when you think antibiotics solve all problems when in fact they don’t. There are always going to be pros and cons of using antibiotics but they may be good to use, on occasion, for your health.